When I say "Monday"...you say "Made It"..."MONDAY!"..."MADE IT!"

Hello...from California!

I'm visitin' my parentals for a few weeks.

It's been great gettin' to spend some time with them

and some of their dear friends. 

I've also spent some time with my pajamas...

on the couch...

readin' books.  

It feels good to not have to adult every now and again.

I did take some time out from my absolute laziness to 

link up with Tara from 4th Grade Frolics

for Monday Made It.

I learned last summer that it's not so easy

to go out and buy stuff to make for your classroom

when you are 3,000 miles from home.

I see all this cutie-patootie stuff that you guys are makin',

and I grunt at you, frown and yell...

"That's not fair!

Why not me?

I want that!!!" 

I'm havin' to just pin stuff for when I get home (borin'!)

 because...

I only have SIX.FOUR pounds left to spare in my suitcase

and let's face it...if I happen to see a stellar pair of shoes

on my trip, they will get TOP priority over somethin'

for my classroom.

I'm sure you understand.

SO...I went through my weddin' pictures and decided

I would share a few things that I made for my weddin'.

I'm sorry that it's July and some of the stuff you are 

about to see is...

CHRISTMAS-y.

The craft stores already have Christmas decorations

out, so I think it's perfectly acceptable that I 

jibber jabber about it here.

Just start signin' "Weddin Bells" to the tune of "Jingle Bells"

in your head and bare with me.

I must first thank my sweet hubby, Jerm, he helped me 100%

of the way with plannin' and decoratin'. 

Our plan was "simple" and "sparkly" and

I think we nailed that. 

Plannin' wasn't all sunshine and roses and on more

than one occasion I tried to force him into elopin',

in my super bossy voice...

but at the end of the weddin' day...

everything turned out

PERFECT 

and we wouldn't have

changed a thing!

Our family and friends surroundin' us as we

said, "I do" was a dream come true!

Okay..maybe the weather could have been a teeny bit

warmer, but I'll let Mother Nature off the hook...

this time.

Did I ever tell you that I secretly like glitter?

No?

Look at this!

 I bought some 8" paper mache letters at Hobby Lobby.

I waited until they were 50% off and got them all at one time.

I then painted them with a metallic silver acrylic paint.

Jerm sprayed the letters with spray glue 

(because I can't be trusted not to get the driveway stuck to me)

 and then sprinkled

very fine silver glitter on top.

The glitter looked like tiny little diamonds everywhere

...a girl's very best friend!

The lights in the venue at Pineapple Willy's Live really caught 

the glitter and the letters SPARKLED!

Quick and easy!

 The next one was easy also...

and it was NOT hard to find willin' participants to empty some

bottles for me to paint with the same metallic paint 

that was used above.
(I won't even tell you how many bottles were
emptied in a short amount of time.)

The metallic paint actually dries pretty fast.

I threw some curly cues from Hobby Lobby in the bottles...

stuck a red glittery candle holder next to them and 

"ta-da"...simple decor.

I had to show off my girls...aren't they beautiful?

I had some wine glasses personalized for my besties

from MiabelDesign on Etsy...since they worked so hard

on bottle emptyin'.

I wore my Nitty and Papa Rose's wedding rings

("something old"),

my engagement ring ,

 and my mom's ring

("something borrowed") 

durin' the ceremony.

The wine cork is significant because my parents 

are in the wine business.

No...I did not make the cork...or the wine...

or the rings.  

Another decoration we used were various Christmas balls on 

black charger plates...

all purchased from Hobby Lobby for 50% off.

The lights really caught all the sparkles on this as well.

It looked much cuter in person than this picture.

We also used some round mirrors and placed Christmas trees, 

strings of pearls, and red glittery candle holders on top.

I chose to buy large packages of LED lights 

instead of usin' actual candles.

Safety first.

All items purchased at Hobby Lobby.

Imagine that.

I did not make the next thing, but I fell in love with the

light up letters.

A few years ago...I saw

someone had placed "Joy" on their mantel and

I was obsessed with findin' those letters. 

I seriously stalked the Patio & Garden shelves 

every week startin'

in about...I don't know...

maybe OCTOBER...

lookin' for these.

When I saw "LOVE"...I. Had. To. Have. Them.

It ended up helpin' with the whole "love" theme of our weddin'.

  We now have this displayed in our house on a 

4-shelf ladder bookshelf

and keep them out all year...
because I love my husband...
all year...
and maybe because I'm scared of the dark too.

I made these cups online at For Your Party. 

As in...I made some clicks and some decisions.

I just happened upon an amazin' sale via an email

(I think it was 40% off) 

and I scooped them up.  

The back says "All you need is love...

love is all you need."

We used these as our drink cups at the reception

and sent these home with guests as a souvenier.

I made Jerm's brother write this on the board
when you entered the reception.

I know I'm a teacher and all, but there is NO way that 

I could've written this neatly on that chalkboard...NO. WAY.

This was pin-spired.

I ordered the famous couples print on Jane.com, 

but I have seen them on Etsy also.

We tried to incorporate items from family also.  

The vase behind the picture frame was Jerm's grandmother's.

The bird cage was used in his brother's weddin' to collect cards, 

so we used it also as our card collector.

There was a beautiful Christmas tree set-up and it added to the

whole decor of the room.

Presents went under the tree.

I love presents!

We hung up pictures on the tree with little white clothespins

 from Michael's.

Pictures were from the past five years of us as a couple,

us with family,

and us with our friends. 

This was a neat and personal touch that we got

many compliments on. 

I originally saw this at our friends' reception

and knew it would be perfect for us also.

The tree was also a great back-drop for pictures.

(Can you tell how much my dad loves Jerm?)

We put out letters for our guests to sign.  

These wooden letters were purchased from Hobby Lobby
and Jerm painted them white for us.
Regular sized Sharpies worked great for writin'.
I'm thinkin' about sellin' some signatures on eBay.
Totally kiddin'!

I purchased paper lanterns to hang up in the ceilin' of the gazebo

for the ceremony.

I found them in different sizes and prints 

all over the place...Amazon, Hobby Lobby,

Oriental Trading, etc.

I just hunted for deals.

They looked great...when the wind

wasn't blowin' like crazy.

The antique table was the most meaningful part of our decor.

The table was refinished by my Papa Rose when he was alive.

I took it from my Nitty Rose's house and put it in my house after

she passed away last year.

At the bottom of the table we have four pictures for our family 

members that are no longer with us, but would've
been over the moon about us tyin' the knot.
They are a HUGE part of who we are...so
we wanted them with us on our special day.

(All four of my grandparents,
Jerm's grandmother 

and his step-dad)

The wonderful man in between us in the middle...
that's Jerm's grandfather

Rev. Virgil Vickers marryin' us.
How SPECIAL is that?!
He has married 3 out of his 5
grandchildren...so far!

What's a weddin' without sweets?

 We had a candy bar for the kiddies with little bags to fill up.

The rose frame says "Love is sweet...please take a treat"

The big glasses were borrowed from my sweet friend and caterer.
The gummy worms...because Jerm's nickname is "Worm".
They didn't match so much, but they were a must have.

 Our cake was THE YUM!  

I can't say enough about Fatty Patty's Cakes. 

(If you live anywhere near me...buy a cake from here...

for any occasion!)

The roses on top...because it my last day of bein' a "ROSE".

Now I'm officially...

Alison Rose Evans.

Fatty Patty's also made Jerm's groom's cake.

This is not MY team, but I'm learnin' to like them...

for his sake.

Marriage is all about compromise...right?

There were a lot more personal touches that we added, but I was

worried I might've put up too many pictures
and some of you might've fallen asleep readin' this.

I did make one school "made it".

I actually did an update to an oldie.

For several years I had S.T.E.M. Behavior Beads, but

I had a request for S.T.E.A.M. beads also, so I 

added some new beads.

S.T.E.M. or S.T.E.A.M. Behavior Beads

I am puttin' them on sale until next Monday.

If you already own them, scoop up the revision in your TpT purchases.

Happy Monday, friends!

I'm over here all tryin' Command + V and nothin' happens...

My name is Alison Rose

and 

I'm an Apple-holic.

It's been 4 1/2 days since my last inter-Mac-tion.

Sad face.

I took my Mac into the Apple Store because I kept gettin' a black screen

sometimes when I typed.  If I clicked a button it would go away.

It really was just a nuisance more than anything.

I don't have an Apple Store where I live, so I thought it would be smart to 

take advantage while I'm here in CA.

I went in one night last week and it was slammed...imagine that.

I made an appointment with the Genius Bar for the followin' day.

They told me I would have to leave it there for 3-5 days.

Sad face.

I tried pitchin' a fit, but they weren't havin' it.

I told them I was on vacation.

That I had stuff to do.

That this baby is less than two months old...it's a newborn.
That there are 5th grade students in Florida that will need to use it on Jan. 6th.

Nope...they made me leave it there.

I did fine until yesterday and then the shakes started to set in.

I missed the keyboard.

The iPad mini and my iPhone just weren't cuttin' it.

I ventured upstairs to the land of the dinosaurs.

I'm over here all tryin' to hit Command + V on a desktop P.C....

and nothin' happens.

It's official...I'm an Apple-holic.
Sad face.

Today I got the phone call I had been waitin' for.

4 and one half days later.

They have to send it off to some "place"...I really don't know where because

there was steam comin' out of my ears.

It will be another 5-7 days from today.

I'll spare you all the bad things I want to say right now.

Sad face.

I have gone out and purchased two backpacks because mine busted on the way here.

Read about that here.

I don't need to worry about a backpack now because

I won't be carryin' my baby home with me. 

Sad face.

I told my parents I should just return both and really spend some quality time 

searchin' for the perfect fit for me.

My mom doesn't think I'll find a better deal. 

I got one on sale for $39.

My dad says, I definitely won't get a better deal 

because I spent $0. 

Funny guy.

Thank you 'rents for the backpack.

I'm sure I could find somethin' to occupy my time with.

Like takin' down this monster.

But really?  This looks way more fun.

I was goin' to write some resolutions until Jerm posted this on FB this mornin.

Another funny guy.

I did use up all the patience I had stored back up since break started to complete this.

So cute...not easy to make on a regular PC.
I miss the Mac.
Sad face.

In other news...I'm bein' fed extremely well. 

I posted these on Instagram already, but I wanted to share again.
My mommy makes beautimous breakfasts and snacks.

That is all. 

Thanks for listenin' to me whine and dealin' with my sad faces.

Happy New Year my friends.

I hope 2014 is filled with tons of awesomeness for you!

Christmas Craftiness...Tried it Tuesday...

I have been really excited to share today's post for Tried it Tuesday 

with my sweet buddy, Holly, at Fourth Grade Flipper.

I have two awesomeness Tried It's to share that you don't want to miss.

There are lots of pictures, but I promise it will be worth it.

Awesomeness #1: Christmas Elf Glyph for 4th, 5th, 6th Grade Math

I found this really cute Christmas Elf Glyph on TpT for F-R-E-E.

This was a perfect math activity for this time of year and a 

great review for order of operations, exponents, and prime & composite numbers.

Half of the elves...

and the other half.

bright and vivid...

super cute...

love all the details...

Awesomeness #2: Christmas Crafts

Every year my bestie, AC, and I ask our parents for a donation for crafts to make with the students in our class...42 total.  We have found that it works perfectly if we go out and purchase all of the materials, get them organized, and then ask parent volunteers to come in and help us with these crafts.  We place the students in stations with a picture sample and checklists for volunteers to check off each students' name as they complete the craft.  This year we had FOURTEEN crafts.  We set aside two hours for two days to complete all these wonderful crafts.  

Yes, it's loud.  Yes, it's messy.

Yes, we want to pull our hair out.

No, we wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

The kids L-O-V-E doin' these crafts and their parents treasure them.

Since we both are loopin' teachers, we have to change our crafts EVERY year.

Yes, you read that right.

Thank you to Pinterest for helpin' us make cute crafts the past few years.

I am includin' a few of the crafts and the original pin where we got the inspiration from.

We got some awesome deals at our local craft stores.

Original pin: Snowman Light

We bought a box of 16 lights at Hobby Lobby for $9.99 and then used a 40% off coupon.

We bought a box of 24 lights at Michael's for $19.99 and then used a 50% off coupon. 

We bought a pack of 3 lights at Walmart for less than $2.00.  

I have heard they have a box of 24 at Sam's for $13.99, but didn't purchase any there.

My total was 43 lights for $18...YES!

We used glitter black foam for the hat, Sharpie for the eyes and mouth, ribbon for the scarf and hanger.

Ribbon was also 50% off at Hobby Lobby.

Original pin: Santa letter

We bought wooden letters, 2 in a pack for $1.47 and 30% off of wood.

Red, and black acrylic paint for $2.99 a bottle.

Glitter red, white, and gold foam.

White ribbon for 50% off.

Original pin: Melted Snowman

Glass ornaments: 12 in a pack for $7.99 at Hobby Lobby.  

These are in the back by glass and are 50% off.

Scarf ribbon for 50% off.

Fake snow at Dollar Tree.

Googly eyes.

Glitter black foam for arms and glitter orange foam for the nose.

Original pin: Stick snowman

This whole craft was from left over materials that we purchased for the other crafts.

Original pin: Ceramic ornaments

These didn't turn out like the original pin, but we made it work for us.

$1.47 a piece at Hobby Lobby and 50% off of that.  

We wish we would've checked Michael's first because they were actually $1.27 there and 50% off.

Painted with yellow or green acrylic paint and sprinkled with gold glitter.

Original idea: Reindeer dog biscuits

I saw this on Jane's blog, Learning in the Little Apple. Absolutely precious!

We used the large Milk Bone biscuits, but medium could work too. 

Original pin: Snowglobe

Christmas trees at Hobby Lobby.  8 in a pack for $2.99 and 50% off of that.

Silver glitter and one pack of little foam beads.

Clear cup, scrapbook paper on the bottom, and a glitter piper cleaners.

Original pin: Elves

We printed different colorin' pages of elves.  

The students got to choose which elf they wanted to use.

We had photos printed for their faces.

Original pin: Recycled paper snowman

We borrowed shredded paper from the office staff to make snowballs.

The rest of the materials were also left over from previous crafts.

Original pin: Sharpie colored ball

Frosted balls at Hobby Lobby in glass section.  

12 in a pack for $7.99 and 50% off of that.

Original pin: Days until Christmas Charger

Chargers at Dollar Tree for $1 a piece.

Metallic Markers two in a pack at Walmart for $0.75.

You can read about when I originally made these here.

  This was everything in their separate buckets ready for craftin' to begin...

We opened up the wall between both classes and had a craft at all 12 tables.

 3rd graders and 5th graders were mixed up together workin' on their crafts.

This sweet volunteer was so patient.  

The boys and girls were crowded around her.

   

 We kept a dryin' page for each student on the floor and a paper bag for transport home.

We had a great big mess to clean up and glitter all over the place, BUT

we can't wait to do it again next year.

Be sure to check out the other awesome Tried It's at Holly's blog.

I'll leave you with this because it's just too beautiful not to share.

Sunset in Florida this week.